


So happy world

by hitori10



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Attends Shujin Academy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Disorder, Asexual Character, Character Death, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Jealousy, M/M, Persona 5 Spoilers, Possessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Underage Drinking, new game plus au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:40:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29352120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hitori10/pseuds/hitori10
Summary: Ace detective Akira Kurusu knows two things.One: He and his detective partner, Goro Akechi, were very close to solving the case regarding the mysterious disappearance behind a councilor and why a certain miss Sumire Yoshizawa refers herself as her dead sister and how the two are correlated.Two: Akira should not be on the first train to Tokyo. Ten. Years. In. The. Past.Son of a bitch
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist, Kitagawa Yusuke/Togo Hifumi, Niijima Makoto/Takao Eiko, Okumura Haru/Sakamoto Ryuji, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 11
Kudos: 82





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my documents for a while, and after much careful revision, I believe it's time that we let you guys read it o/ 
> 
> This was purely inspired by both mind and Luke's new game plus runs in Royal after beating the vanilla version of Persona 5.

So happy world

Chapter 1

* * *

"Takuto Maruki, said to be within his mid twenties, and studied cognitive psience at Tokyo university. His friend, Shibusawa, recently reported him as missing after he hadn't been at his apartment for well over a month."

Detective Kurusu Akira was walking around his coffee table reading from his notes, circling around the damn thing for what felt like a million times by now.

Akira flipped the page of his notebook as he continued reading, "Thinking Takuto merely went to visit family and did not notify him, Shibusawa contacted his family, only to find out that he had not been in contact with them for well over six months."

His partner, detective Goro Akechi, lounged on their couch, coffee mug resting on his thigh.

Red eyes would occasionally follow his movements before settling back on the darkened screen of their television.

It was around eleven o'clock at night, and the two detectives were busy reviewing information they had collected for work in the comfort of their apartment.

Goro's stomach quietly rumbled, reminding him that the two had not had dinner yet.

Perhaps he'll convince his spouse to order out once he's stopped for a break.

Akira's left hand came up to push his glasses higher up on his nose, his wedding band gleaming in the light, "Contacting every person that he could think of, Shibusawa finally reported Takuto Maruki as a missing person after searching for well over a week. As of thus far, we do not have any leads regarding where our missing person could be."

A hum came from his right side, Akechi held his coffee mug some inches away from his mouth, "And we've yet to make any dent. The prosecutors office has contacted his work place and even they don't know where he is. He used some of his saved up PTO hours and hasn't returned even though his time is up."

The brunet moved his legs to rest up on the couch's available seating; getting quite tired of constantly moving them when Akira circled back around.

Kurusu sighed frustrated, "His parents have also been asking around their hometown for any possible leads."

"And do we know anything from that?"

"Not a damn thing."

Goro furrowed his brows, "And what of his neighbors?"

Akira flopped down onto the couch, looking up at the ceiling as he responded, "Same testimony from all of them. They saw him leave on February 2nd around three o'clock in the afternoon. The reason why they all saw him was because the building was hosting a barbecue event. Maruki declined joining and all he carried with him was his usual bag."

The two detectives sat in silence as they ran through their thoughts once again for what felt like the millionth time.

Police Commissioner Makoto Nijima, a close friend of theirs, had contacted them into her office three months ago with an important task given to them.

A man by the name of Takuto Maruki had gone missing.

He was a prominent figure within the world of cognitive psience and was even a councilor for some schools within the Tokyo area.

According to Shibusawa, Maruki had not been the same since a traumatic event that caused his girlfriend to suffer a sort of mental shutdown, triggered by witnessing the break in, robbery and murder of her parents.

Following such an event, Takuto was reportedly seen throwing himself almost erratically into his work.

However, his demeanor did not match.

Maruki remained calm and friendly the entire time interacting with people.

His last place of occupation was at the prestigious academy of Kosei.

But no matter how hard they tried, very little information had reached them.

As of now, the trail had gone cold.

Goro's phone began ringing, the featherman theme song playing.

Kurusu snickered into his hand as his partner glared at him, answering the phone.

"Hello? Detective Goro Akechi speaking."

"Detective! Yes, hello. This is Shibusawa."

Goro leaned on the arm rest, "Shibusawa-san, hello. What can I help you with this evening."

"I'm real sorry it's late, but I have something important to tell you and Detective Kurusu."

This made Akechi immediately lean forward, removing his phone from his ear, he put it on speaker, "Yes, he is here with me. What do you have to share with us?"

"I think I might have someone else who can give new information on Maruki."

Akira sat up so fast he almost dropped his notebook, "And who might that be?"

Shibusawa took a deep breath, "Her name is Kasumi Yoshizawa."

The two detectives looked at each other.

Just how did Maruki know an Olympic gymnast?

Kurusu leaned forward, elbows on his knees, "And just how does he know her?"

"Apparently her family had paid for counselling lessons. They still do them even years later."

Akechi put his left hand on his face, a gap between his pointer and middle finger was left so he could speak properly, "And what caused you to remember this?"

"I saw her today on my way back from Kichijoji. She approached me and asked how the investigation on Takuto was going. Kasumi said that if you needed some help, she would be more than willing to offer some info."

Goro nodded, "That would be wonderful, Shibusawa-san. Do you perhaps have her number?"

"Of course! It's..."

* * *

Two days later, Akira and Goro found themselves exiting their train taking them to Kichijoji.

After having received Kasumi's number from Shibusawa, the young woman was more than gracious enough to meet with them today on her free day.

Putting his hand up to shield from eyes from the sun, Akira looked at the shops, "Man, this place never changes, huh, honey?"

Goro hummed in agreement, his hand holding onto his partner's left, "Would seem that way, darling."

"If all goes smoothly, you wanna spend some time at the jazz club?"

"But of course. What kind of spouse would I be if I didn't take my husband to listen to some music every once in a while?"

"Not a very good one."

"Thank goodness I was gifted a husband of the year coffee mug then."

Akira bumped his hip against the brunet's, "Jerk."

Goro bumped him back, "Attic trash."

* * *

The two were now seated at a café they frequented quite often when they were in town, Miel de Crepes.

Kasumi said she would be arriving within fifteen minutes and to please order ahead without her.

Well, Akira has never been able to say no to food.

Happily munching away at a strawberry parfait, the curly haired male looked much like a child with his cheeks full of yogurt and strawberry.

Goro was more refined as he ate; a stack of fluffy pancakes sitting in front of him, and his iced coffee bitter enough so he wouldn't be overwhelmed with sweetness.

Unlike his husband, Akechi had a reputation for being serious and mature.

Whilst Akira acted however he wanted to and brushed off anyone's complaints.

Police commissioner Nijima nearly had a heart attack when Akira, on live television, said he didn't give a rat's ass about everyone's opinion.

Not an important person? He'll tell you where to shove your thoughts.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, while the two detectives were sipping away at their iced coffee's, Kasumi showed up.

She bowed in greeting, "Kurusu-san, Akechi-san, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Both detectives stood up and reciprocated the greeting.

Ever the gentleman, Akira pulled out a seat for the young woman and gently pushed her forward, before sitting down in his own seat.

Goro spoke after Kasumi had placed her order, "Thank you very much for meeting with us on such short notice, Yoshizawa-san."

She smiled at him, "Of course. When I heard the news that Dr. Maruki had gone missing, I was sad and upset."

Akira nodded his head, a look of understanding in his eyes, "I'm sure it must have been tough to discover your councilor had gone missing."

"Yes. Dr. Maruki has helped me through so much in my life, and if I can help you with what I know, I'll be more than happy to do so."

"Very well then, let us proceed."

At seeing his spouse nod in his direction, Akira took out his laptop and opened up an empty document; ready to write down anything vital to the investigation.

Kasumi took a deep breath, "I met doctor Maruki ten years ago, back when my sister had suffered an accident that would end up taking her life. It was caused by a driver who had gone through a mental shutdown."

Goro tensed at the mere mention of them.

"Sumire had pushed me out of the way. The worst I suffered were some scrapes, but no matter what the medical staff did, my younger sister couldn't be saved."

"We're very sorry for your loss, Yoshizawa-san." Akira offered her a comforting smile.

"Thank you."

Kasumi fiddled with the ends of her ponytail, twirling the red strands of hair, "My parents had seen the damage of witnessing my sister's death had done to me, and so per the doctor's recommendation, they consulted me with doctor Maruki."

"And what sort of treatment did you receive from Maruki?" Goro asked her.

The young woman thought for a moment, "In the beginning, he simply offered to talk to me about my interests. He wanted to know what kind of person I was before we could properly proceed with anything."

Akechi nodded as she spoke.

So far, Maruki seemed like a standard counselor.

"Then as time went on, he began to ask me questions regarding my sister and how I felt towards her."

Akira stopped in his typing for a moment, "And what did you tell him?"

Kasumi had a sad smile on her face, "How much I loved my sister and how sometimes I felt envious of her. How I wanted to become her sometimes."

Goro...found that quite odd.

"Kasu-" The young woman coughed into her hand, "Sumire, pardon me. Was a very talented girl, and doctor Maruku said that I needed to live my life to the fullest in order to make my sister proud."

As she stopped to take a drink of her smoothie, Akechi and Akira shared a look.

That slip up was far too strange and needed to be looked into more.

"And did his advice help?" Akira leaned forward a bit, his hands still on the keyboard.

Kasumi nodded, "Yes. His advice and sessions with him were always very uplifting for me."

Goro fiddled with the straw of his drink, "When was the last time that you spoke with Maruki?"

The red head sighed slightly, "About...two weeks before he went missing."

"And was there anything odd with his behavior that you noticed?" The brunet recalled how Shibusawa said Maruki sometimes acted erratic when tending to his work; almost as if he was desperate to get something finished.

"Huh." Her eyes went a little wide, "Now that you mention it, Akechi-san, he did act a bit strange during our last meeting."

Akira raised a brow, "How so?"

Kasumi looked a bit reluctant but after a moment, she spoke again, "Doctor Maruki sometimes used our sessions to speak about things that were concerning him at the moment and I never minded, but that last time..." The woman shook her head, "It almost felt like he wasn't completely there."

The two detectives looked at each other.

"He kept speaking about how his research paper was finally done."

"And did you perhaps know what his paper was about?" Akira couldn't help the burning curiosity.

Kasumi shook her head, "I'm afraid not. All I know is that he kept a journal in his apartment where he did all his work."

Now, if only they could receive permission to find said journal, things might get easier from here.

But if Akira was right on the money, they might not be dealing with someone harmless anymore.

"Anyway, please go on." Akechi motioned her with his hand to continue.

"Ah yes. Um, he also spoke about how he can finally make everyone happy especially _her_."

"Who is her?" The brunet asked.

Kasumi shook her head, "I'm not sure, Akechi-san. While doctor Maruki was okay with sharing some things with me, I didn't know anything too much about his personal or romantic life."

Could he have been talking about Rumi-san? The girlfriend who suffered greatly from her parents death?

It made sense in Akira's mind.

But then again, as Kasumi said, they don't know much about Maruki's life besides what Shibusawa told them.

"Was there anything else?"

She nodded, "Yes, Kurusu-san. He also spoke of how this time he would make everyone happy."

That...was a little concerning.

"Doctor Maruki always wanted all of his patients to leave happy and live good lives. But, isn't that a bit of a stretch to do so with all people?"

Technically, Kasumi isn't wrong in saying so.

It's a very optimistic way of thinking which unfortunately doesn't always happen.

"Was there anything else?"

"I'm afraid not, Akechi-san. That's all I know."

Akira resisted the urge to sigh heavily.

"Pardon me for asking such an off topic question Yoshizawa-san, but which school did you attend?"

"I attended a private school in Odaiba, Akechi-san."

Goro raised a brow, "If you're now an Olympic gymnast, why not attend a school known for a sports program?"

Kasumi fidgeted a bit, "Well, you see, my sister and I were to originally attend Shujin academy due to their sports program, however, when the accident that took my sister's life happened, my father felt it was best to remain where I was. "

"Ah, I see. Apologies for my prying."

The young woman shook her head, "Not at all, Akechi-san."

"We really appreciate that you took the time out of your day to meet with us, Yoshizawa-san."

"Your welcome, Kurusu-san."

* * *

Kasumi's information had immensely helpful to the point where Akira and Akechi knew that if they could get their hands on Maruki's paper, they could potentially solve the case.

But this was only if they were able to convince the head of their department to give them said papers.

And Shinomiya-san was a complete pain in the ass when that woman wanted to be.

Originally, Goro had suggested they simply speak with Makoto; who could easily get a hold of that evidence if she wanted to.

But Akira said they shouldn't abuse their friendship with her so much like that.

People at their workplace already disliked them because of that.

That and because they have the highest completion rate in their cases.

Heh, suck it losers.

Goro was rocking back and forth in his desk chair when a stack of files was slammed onto his desk causing him to jump.

A smug Akira was looking down at him. "Fuckin' got it."

The brunet opened the file and was amazed to see a paper made and published by cognitive psience researcher Takuto Maruki.

"Son of a bitch, you did it."

His spouse was sporting a shit eating grin, "Shit was cake."

"You were scared of Shinomiya-san, weren't you?"

" _Terrified_."

"You're slipping, Joker."

"Can it, Crow."

* * *

After their weekly family dinner at the Sakura residence and Akira's insistence at having to see Morgana; all because Futaba got him a cat tree with see through platforms, which gave them a visible angle of his feet.

Thirty minutes of his husband gushing about Morgana's toe beans is was what made Goro finally call it for the night.

Besides, they had a lot of work that needed to be done.

Pouring themselves some blue mountain coffee, Akira began reading from the research papers.

"Interpreting reality through cognitive psience and the alteration of reality via external influence."

Goro was taken aback, "This...sounds awfully like what you did as phantom thieves."

Akira nodded, surprise clear on his face, "Yeah. It sounds exactly like a change of heart."

The brunet began reading the next paragraph, "Through my years of research in cognitive psience, I've come to a solid conclusion that there is a reality that exists solely within one person. A reality solely separated from the persona they show to the public. Where I believe true desires are hidden."

_Palaces._

"However, I also believe there is also a collective unconscious of the people as well. If there is such a thing for one individual person, why should there not be one for the general public?"

_Mementos._

"By those means, it doesn't seem entirely impossible to permanently change a person's cognition anymore."

Akira reached up and rubbed his temples, "The lasting effects of what happens when you change a person's heart."

Goro furrowed his brows, "Take for example the mental shutdowns that have been happening as of late. A person's 'other self', I believe, was destroyed or the process of attempting to change their cognition somehow fails. This could be the con of what happens of a failed attempt."

Akechi knew better than anyone what it was like to trigger a mental shutdown; the damn nightmares wouldn't disappear even a decade later.

"However, taking into account of what the phantom thieves are doing at the moment, I can hypothesize, that is the pro of what happens when you change a person's cognition. Their entire person changes to someone, who more often than not, admits to what otherwise would make them carry guilt. This is the pro of said attempt."

Goro turned the page and nearly cringed, "I also believe that mental shutdowns are sometimes caused through traumatic events. While someone may not have to directly temper with their unconscious per say, unfortunate happenings also play a massive role in said mental shutdown."

Rumi-san.

His former girlfriend who suffered a traumatic experience and basically shut down.

Shibusawa-san says she's better now, but how is the question?

Akira already said they didn't trigger a change of heart within her because there wasn't a reason to do so.

That being said, hearing about this from the case, it seems like she strongly bears the possibility of having a palace.

Unfortunately, with the Metanav and the Metaverse itself forever gone, there was no way to tell anymore.

"It's unfortunate that even though I have found a solution of healing psychological wounds, I cannot heal anyone out of my reach. Simply those whom I've interacted with for a period of time."

Akira was glaring down at the floor while Akechi kept reading, "It is a shame that I cannot heal those who are suffering and in great pain, some who are unable to voice said pain."

"Even if we have a full understanding of the human heart and an effective way to soothe it, we cannot completely be rid of trauma. That is what I ultimately realized."

The two were quiet for a moment.

Goro's hand was shaking slightly, and so Akira took the papers from his spouse's hands to read for a while, letting the other lean against him, "That is why I truly believe in the existence of a collective unconscious. After all, it is where pain, trauma, and misunderstandings may lie. They are all human feelings."

"But maybe, understanding everyone's hearts is impossible after all."

It was quiet for some time as the two detectives leaned against each other.

Everything Maruki talked about, his charts, theories and claims they could prove, all struck gold.

Having explored the Metaverse for a long time, Akechi and Akira know that if Maruki had ever seen Mementos or even set foot in that other world, something bad might have happened.

"Do you think he might have had a persona?" Goro's voice was soft.

Akira shook his head, "I dunno. But based on reading and looking over everything, Maruki has the strong possibility of being a persona user."

"Do you think he ever set foot within Mementos?"

"Hard to say. You ever feel like anyone besides us was there?"

Akechi furrowed his brows in thought.

It was easy to tell when the Phantom thieves were in Mementos; bullet holes lining the walls and tire tracks were often there.

The thieves just had this certain...rowdy presence that always lingered whenever Goro explored afterwards.

Due to his own experiences within therapy, Akechi fully believes psychologists are sometimes too kind to the point where it's cruel.

Wanting to always heal their patients, sometimes if it wasn't through logical means and approved ones at that.

"I can't say that I have. I was always vigilant based on who entered and who left. But I never sensed the presence of someone apart from us."

Purely out of a habit that never went away even after the phantom thieves hid back in the shadows, Akira brought out his phone to check the home screen.

The Metaverse navigator was never there.

Sometimes, even a decade later, Akira wonders if his whole experience in the Metaverse was just one really long nightmare.

Unfortunately, he has the trauma to prove otherwise.

That reminds him, "Say, you remember how Shibusawa said Rumi-san suddenly got better one day after Maruki visited her? And then suddenly she didn't know who a Takuto Maruki was."

Goro raised his head from where it had been laying on his husband's shoulder, "Yes?"

"Do you think maybe Maruki used these methods to erase her trauma?"

Akechi blinked in surprise, and Akira took that as a sign to continue, "And if such a thing really is true, would it be so far out of reach to say he did the same thing with Yoshizawa-san?"

Goro's mouth dropped a bit in realization, "Her slip up from earlier."

"Huh?"

The brunet sat up, looking at his partner, "Earlier when we were at the café and Yoshizawa-san was speaking of the incident that took her sister's life, she slipped up and almost referred Sumire-san as Kasumi."

Akira's body shot up, "Holy shit, you're right. Then that means..."

At the same time they spoke, "He changed their cognition."

Taking into account what Shibusawa said regarding Rumi-san, her sudden recovery, somehow forgetting the boyfriend she had been with since their early college years, and now Kasumi suddenly slipping up and referring her dead sister as herself.

There was just too much to ignore now.

"What year was the incident that took Yoshizawa-san's sister's life?" Goro asked the other male, praying he would get an answer.

Akira tapped his foot in thought, then it hit him.

"It was right around the time that I first arrived in Tokyo. I remember Sojiro mentioning there was a sad incident that happened the month beforehand. A fifteen year old girl had died. That day a train had derailed."

Hitting himself lightly with his fist against his temple, "It was...April 10th I think?"

Immediately, Goro brought out their work laptop, which granted them access to any files they needed to look up.

And with a bit of persuasion, Makoto gave them permission to look up any file they wanted, no questions asked.

May 10th was the day they were looking for.

What first popped up was a police investigation for a truck driver that had died; the primary cause was a mental shutdown.

But there was something else there as well.

Kasumi Yoshizawa, fifteen, had been killed due to having been hit by the truck and was dead upon arrival at the scene.

Her sister, Sumire Yoshizawa, also fifteen, had been pushed out of the way and was unable to offer further information due to going into shock from the scene.

Both Goro and Akira shot up from their seats, moving around in disbelief.

"Holy fuck, holy fuck..." Kurusu clenched his curly hair in his hands, shock slowly seeping into his voice.

"Fuck...what the fuck?" Akechi lowly hissed to himself.

Kasumi Yoshizawa was not the person they had met up with earlier.

No.

It was the surviving sister; Sumire Yoshizawa.

So when she spoke of her sessions with Maruki, it was really just a stepping stone for him to figure out how to completely erase a person's trauma.

In this case, he had somehow convinced Sumire that she was in all reality her dead sister.

Thus, convincing her thoroughly, she had always been Kasumi.

Rumi-san no longer had her trauma holding her back because she was under the pretense none of those horrifying events took place. Instead, believing she was raised by her grandparents and her parents were never in the picture.

"Are you fucking shitting me?! This son of a bitch manipulated them?!" Goro yelled out, body trembling from pure fury.

Akira was shaking his head frantically, almost not wanting to believe they were in this situation, "How? He needed to have had a persona! This is impossible!"

"Then how else would that bastard have done this?!"

"I don't know!"

Seeing as this would quickly lead into a fight between the two, Akira walked over and placed his hands on the brunet's shoulders, "Look, let's calm down and think for a minute."

It took more than a minute.

Thirty to be precise.

Eventually, Goro wasn't looking like he wanted to physically hit something and Akira held tightly onto his love's hand, "We need to speak with Futaba tomorrow. She specializes in cognitive psience, and her mom was the first person to learn about the Metaverse. If there's someone who can give us answers, it would be her."

Akechi nodded, letting out a shaky breath.

That was a solid idea.

Perhaps they could even persuade Futaba to let them see some of her mom's old research notes too.

Wakaba was a fiercely intelligent woman and perhaps there might be answers to all their questions hidden away.

"You're right."

"Right now, the best thing we can do is put everything away and rest up for the night."

Akechi opened his mouth to protest, but Akira was quick to shut him down, "No, we're not staying up. You know as well as I do that if we kept looking through all this, there would be nothing from stopping us from sprinting all the way to Sojiro's house."

Ugh, sometimes Goro hates how well his honey knows him.

"Of course. Let's clean up and head to sleep.

* * *

It took almost an hour, their bodies sluggish from the rush of emotions, but were now laying down facing each other in bed.

Goro looked like he needed a lot of comfort after that entire ordeal, and so Akira had persuaded him to hold onto him for the night.

The brunet pressed a gentle kiss on his husband's shoulder, "Thank you, honey."

"Of course, dear."

Silence enveloped their room for a couple moments.

"In the morning, we'll talk with Futaba and get this sorted out."

Akechi nodded against him, "Yes."

"Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"You as well."

Akira leaned down as Goro leaned up and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

Sleep eventually came to them after a long while.

* * *

When Akira next opened his eyes, he expected to see Goro's lovely face.

Instead, what he saw made dread fill his body.

Grey eyes looked around and saw that he was riding a train.

Some steps in front of him, he heard two girls speaking about the mental shutdowns.

The intercom was broadcasting a local news channel about the recent victims of those strange and tragic events.

With a shaking hand, Akira pulled out his phone and nearly dropped it.

The date April 9th 2016 stared right back at him.

His clothing...was the Shujin Academy uniform.

Akira looked back up and felt his body sway a bit.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me."

* * *

End of chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes some time, but Goro is eventually able to find an article naming the victims in that accident.
> 
> And nearly fucking tosses his phone off the school roof because in none of the ten articles he read following this current one, it does not mention the name of a certain deceased girl.
> 
> Kasumi Yoshizawa's involvement and death that took place on that day was no where to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very big thank you to those who have read our story so far. Luke and I hope that you're enjoying it o/

So happy world

Chapter 2

* * *

When Goro woke up the next morning, he was expecting it to go as it normally did.

Akira was usually awake by then, the damn cat forced him to become a morning person years ago, already making breakfast and coffee.

But this time, the room smelled like some moron left a microwaveable meal too long in there and the plastic took on a slight burnt smell.

Except, Akechi and Akira hadn't had any of those meals in while.

Haru always sent a chef to prep them meals during busy weeks.

Opening his red eyes, the brunet was confused when he was staring up at a different ceiling.

He...could have sworn they fell asleep in their apartment last night.

And where the hell was Akira?

Pushing himself up and out of bed, he wandered into the living room calling out for his husband, "Honey? Honey, where are you?"

Looking around, Goro saw that this indeed wasn't their apartment.

Just where the hell was he?

The brunet sighed; he was too tired for this shit.

Maybe if he washes his face and wakes up a little more, he can observe his surroundings and figure it out.

Walking back into the bedroom, he saw the door for the bathroom, entering and turned on the lights.

His reflection in the mirror is what made him stop.

Normally, Goro is used to seeing a slightly tanner face, thanks to Ann for always taking him, longer hair usually in a ponytail, and maybe a laugh line or two.

But no, what he's really staring at is his eighteen year old face.

Akechi could hear a pin drop on the carpeted floor due to the heavy silence.

Rushing over, he slammed his hands onto the sink and stared at himself.

Just what the hell was happening here?

Was this a dream?

Had to be a dream.

It just had to be.

He and Akira were stressed out from reviewing all that evidence from that bastard Maruki just last night.

They had promised they would go and speak with Futaba today.

But what even is today?

With desperation running rampant through his body, Goro somehow found the strength in his wobbly legs to go and search for his phone in the bed.

He found, what would be a later outdated model in the future, his red phone and turned it on.

The date April 7th 2016 stared right back at him.

Without his anger management classes, Goro might go as far to say said date was almost mocking him.

Akechi closed his home screen time and time again, yet the date did not change.

His grip tightened on his phone, almost going mad with the immense amount of questions piling up in his head.

The brunet nearly jumped out of his skin when his alarm on his phone went off.

Goro looked at the small note written underneath it.

_'Meet with vice president Nijima regarding the transfer student's arrival. Be at Shujin Academy by 7:30.'_

Shujin academy?

But he went to Kosei.

And just for a little dramatic effect, the Shujin academy uniform was laid out neatly for him on a nearby chair.

Honestly, the fuckin' thing could be giving him the jazz hands and Goro might not react given how fucking confused and lost he is.

Wait.

Transfer student?

Holy shit, Akira!

In his state of near mania, Goro nearly forgot he was originally looking around for his love.

"Akira?! Honey, where are you?!" He yelled loudly in the apartment.

Whenever Akechi got angry or looked around for the other male, his indoor voice seemed to take a backseat.

This was no exception.

Frantically looking around, he found no sight of his husband.

There were no trinkets Akira tended to have hung up somewhere, no photos of them with their friends, their wedding photos missing, and the one thing that really solidified Akira wasn't here; his wedding ring was missing.

Just what was happening here?!

His phone began ringing from where Goro had left it in the bedroom.

Running back in there, he felt somewhat relieved when he saw Makoto's number.

Perhaps she was just as bewildered as him.

He picked up, "Hello?"

"Akechi-kun, where are you? You sent me an email last night saying we needed to speak about that delinquent transfer student."

"Makoto."

"Y-Yes?" Surprise was clear in her voice.

"Am I the only one who feels like things aren't right?"

"U-Uh..."

"Weren't you just promising Akira and I last night we could look at some documents?"

"U-Um, Akechi-kun, are you alright?"

The brunet stopped, "W-What do you mean?"

"What documents are you talking about? And who is Akira?"

...Oh no.

"Did you not sleep well last night?"

So then...that means...

Akechi forced himself to speak in that detestable detective prince manner he mastered a decade ago, "My apologies Nijima-san. It seems I'm still a bit tired. Perhaps all that studying warped my attention a bit."

Makoto hesitated before she spoke again, "W-Well, maybe you should cut back a bit? Won't do you any good if you aren't in top shape."

"Ah, you said we would be meeting at Shujin academy, correct? Please, give me fifteen minutes and I should arrive there promptly. Apologies for the wait."

"S-Sure."

* * *

How the hell Shujin academy students wore their uniforms and didn't hate them is beyond Goro's comprehension.

Principal Kobayakawa was seated at his desk in front of he and Makoto.

"With the arrival of this delinquent transfer student, I will leave the task of maintaining peace among the student body to you two. After all, our president and vice president of the student council surely are capable of this, no?"

Makoto nodded, although it looked very stiff to him, "Y-Yes, sir."

Plastering his most convincing smile, Goro nodded, "Of course, principal Kobayakawa. Nijima-san and I will take our duty, as we always have, seriously. Should this transfer student do anything unbecoming of the good Shujin name, we shall see he be dealt with promptly."

Honestly, the last time he had to kiss this much ass was two occasions he remembers with alarming clarity.

One; convincing Akira to try a completely different sex position.

Two; begging Futaba to take him with her to see the new Featherman movie.

Akechi is nothing but a man with his priorities right.

The useless sack of shit in front of him looked pleased with his answer, "I trust your judgment. Please, the both of you may head to your classes now."

"If you'll excuse us." Both he and Makoto bowed politely as they left.

* * *

It was during his lunch period Goro took full advantage to review all information he needed to know.

Getting up to the rooftop was easy, especially since Akira once taught him how to lockpick, and was seated in a chair by a small table.

The date was indeed April 7th 2016, ten years in the past.

Mental shutdowns were still running rampant in Tokyo at the moment.

But as Goro looked thoroughly at all the apps on his phone the Metaverse navigator was nowhere to be found.

Strongly indicating that he might not be the mastermind behind those horrific events.

Akechi did not have any connections with Shido; a firm sweep through all his text messages, calls and emails further proved that.

The brunet even looked up his own name online, as narcissistic as that sounded, and was glad he was still referred to as the detective prince.

It also seemed like he had no involvement regarding the mental shutdown cases.

All his cases were simple stuff; finding culprits behind break in's, robbery, theft, and a video of him wrestling down a man abusing his girlfriend.

"My ass still looks good."

_Thank god_ no one was around as Goro stared appreciatively at his own rear in the video.

But enough of that.

Akechi had one very important detail that had to be looked up.

The victims of the May car accident caused a mental shutdown incident.

If things match up from what he knows ten years in the future, things might get easier once he reunites with Akira in three days.

It takes some time, but Goro is eventually able to find an article naming the victims in that accident.

And nearly fucking tosses his phone off the school roof because in none of the ten articles he read following this current one, it does not mention the name of a certain deceased girl.

Kasumi Yoshizawa's involvement and death that took place on that day was no where to be found.

Another internet search shows she just recently won a gymnastics competition, her sister Sumire, was also mentioned.

"What the hell is going on here?" Goro asked himself for the hundredth time that day.

Further digging around showed Wakaba Ishikki was still the first victim in the mental shutdown cases, many more people following her.

Even though the evidence strongly pointed to Akechi being innocent this time around, it still did not stop the putrid taste of bile rising in his throat.

Despite knowing Futaba forgives him in her own way in the future, the guilt he felt upon ripping her mother away from her was something that never quite faded away.

Similar to Haru; while their interactions were considered friendly, Goro's self deprecating thoughts frequently crept in reminding him of how he shot down her father within the Metaverse.

But if these articles are to be trusted, Goro somehow needed to gain access to the police files of those incidents.

The main issue here was reading how he isn't involved whatsoever.

His lack of involvement could prove to be an obstacle he might not be able to surpass.

Even with Sae-san's help, which he hopes they're still friendly with each other, this still might not be possible given how sometimes people unfortunately walk all over her.

A glaring issue in his mind is why he physically isn't in these cases, actively trying to investigate them.

Perhaps it could be the issue regarding his age.

Last time the only reason he was allowed to take part was because he helped solve, the term here being used very loosely, previous mental shutdowns.

The evidence is gruesome and quite frankly rather disturbing to watch if one is not strong enough.

Luckily, Goro is very efficient and had saved a copy of his schedule on his phone and saw he needed to be in the police station today.

If he played his cards right, maybe he'll be able to read a file or two.

* * *

Really, just what was Akechi expecting?

To his immense surprise it wasn't himself or Sae-san who prevented him from being involved in the mental shutdown case.

It was the SIU director.

"No. Absolutely not. You're too young for that."

Goro nearly felt his eye twitch in annoyance; the nerve of this senile old bastard.

"But sir, I feel as though I could sincerely contribute to this case. Please, give me one opportunity to prove that to you."

Looking at his current track record, Goro can actually understand the severe amount of apprehension the SIU director has on his face.

Putting faith in a high school detective is a risky move indeed.

It felt like an eternity had passed before the director sighed heavily.

"Fine. The next mental shutdown case will be your trial period. If the results aren't satisfactory, don't even think about coming to me with this request again."

"Understood sir."

If memory serves him right, the next one should occur on April 9th.

The railway accident will make headlines and cause a massive amount of travel delays, temporarily closing that passage for a while.

But first, there was another order of business that needed to be taken care of.

* * *

Walking through the quiet neighborhood of Yongen-Jaya always felt like coming home for Goro.

People were friendly and inviting without it feeling like it was forced, quaint little shops, and about as calming as a tucked away place could be within Tokyo.

Especially the hidden gem that was known as café Leblanc.

Setting foot inside Akechi was met with a wave of fantastic smelling curry and the captivating aroma of coffee beans only café Leblanc could produce.

Behind the counter stood a familiar gruff looking man, nose deep in a crossword puzzle, ash tray beside him and his ever picturesque attire.

"Welcome. What'll you have?"

Sojiro Sakura looked up as a customer walked into his quiet café and was surprised to see that high school detective that sometimes appeared on tv.

Goro offered him a smile as he sat down in his stool by the bar, a place both Sojiro and Akira would later dub _the crow's nest_ as his permanent seating, "A cup of Columbian coffee and a plate of curry please."

"Comin' right up."

Getting up from his chair, the café owner grumbled a little about the pain his back, making his way over to his equipment to prep the coffee beans.

Looking around the never changing establishment, for the first time today, Akechi felt grounded.

Whenever work was particularly stressful or Shido's demands began taking a toll on him, the brunet would find himself naturally drawn back here.

It also didn't help he had one hell of desperate crush on Akira Kurusu.

Pulling out a notebook from his briefcase, Goro went over all the notes he took since this morning.

There were several changes this past had from the first time.

One; Akechi attended Shujin Academy on a scholarship and was the student council president. Had been all three years of his attendance there.

Two; he had no contact with Masayoshi Shido aside from one massive difference.

Three; a continuation from the second point. His mother, Akari Akechi, was alive. She was...a bright and wonderful woman.

Akari had won a lawsuit against Shido, which was covered up of course, and managed to win child support and a constant flow of money from him after proving her child was conceived through assault.

Because of that, his mother had used that money to ensure themselves a cozy life in the countryside.

Inaba was the town Akari had decided upon ironically enough.

His mother never suffered from the deep depression Shido had caused thus causing her to never be driven to suicide.

Goro discovered she worked at a local bakery there.

Akari was deeply saddened to have sent her only child to Shibuya to study, but if her baby boy wanted to succeed in life, she would happily support it.

The brunet nearly broke down crying like a baby when he heard her calming voice; one memory of her that oddly never faded with time.

Four; Akechi and Akira were childhood friends who stuck like glue all throughout childhood.

When Goro left for Shibuya to attend Shujin academy, he apparently was reluctant to leave because he didn't want Akira to be alone.

The other young man would have joined him, but since his grandparents were his legal guardians, he needed to look out for them.

At least he and Akira had a plausible reason to interact normally at school without it raising suspicion, they could use that childhood friends things to their advantage.

_"If only we had met a few years earlier."_

Well, apparently this time around, Goro got what he wanted.

"Here you go, kid."

Sojiro placed a warm cup of coffee and a plate of fresh curry in front of him.

"Thank you very much, sir."

"Please, call me boss."

"Very well. Thank you boss."

The café fell into a comfortable silence as Akechi enjoyed his dinner, already wishing he had Akira back because even ten years into the future, he was still an abysmal cook.

Just the mere thought of eating microwaveable foods disgusted him.

After Akechi had pushed his empty dinner plate away, he took a sip of his coffee, "Boss, a question."

"Sure, go ahead." The older gentleman didn't look up from his crossword as he responded.

"Will Akira Kurusu still be arriving on April 9th?"

Sojiro lifted his head, looking at the detective with a raised brow, "And how the hell you know that kid?"

It was an odd combination for sure in boss' mind.

A detective and a delinquent?

Weren't they like, natural enemies or something?

You know, like opposing sides and shit like that?

"Akira and I are childhood friends. We grew up in Inaba together."

Sojiro sighed, setting down his crossword onto his lap, "So then you know what the punk did? Assaulted some politician or something."

Goro grit his teeth; that son of a bitch Shido.

"Just goes to show you shouldn't get involved in the affairs of adults."

"On the contrary, boss, I believe what he did was right."

"Huh? How's that detective?"

Earlier while Akechi was at the police station, he had dug up Akira's file and read through the assault charges to ensure everything remained the same.

Thinking about them now still made his blood boil with rage.

"Akira prevented that woman from getting assaulted from a drunk politician who clearly was aware of his actions with how hastily he moved to cover everything up. I find it quite odd that the woman in question agreed with the drunk despite their being witnesses who claimed to hear her in obvious distress."

Sojiro fully turned in his seat to face the young man, "Maybe you're saying all this cause you're tied to the kid."

Akechi hummed, setting down his coffee mug onto the coaster plate, "Perhaps. Or simply as a detective, I cannot let unjust actions be forgiven. Pray tell boss, if someone you knew was assaulted in a similar manner, would you not wish to prevent it?"

Boss scoffed a bit, "Course I would."

"Then wouldn't you be labeled a criminal as well for intervening?"

"W-Well, that's different."

"How so?"

"I'm an adult and in full control and understanding of what I'm doing." Please, even Sojiro didn't look fully convinced by his answer.

"Can't the same be applied in the circumstances surrounding Akira's situation?"

Sojiro coughed lightly into his fist, most likely to hide how caught off guard he was by the question, "Don't think so. He's just a kid."

"My, I never took you for the hypocritical kind, Sakura-san."

Boss rubbed the back of his head, slightly frustrated, "Enough with your damn questions already. Need anything else?"

Akechi coughed slightly to prevent the laughter from escaping him, "One favor to ask."

"God, what now?"

"May you please inform Akira that I'll be here in the evening of April 9th? I wish to speak with him."

"Fine. Not like that damn kid's gonna have much to do around here. Damn country boy will probably get confused seeing the city for the first time."

On the contrary Sojiro, Akira will get along just fine.

Akechi got up from his seat and collected his briefcase, "Well then, thank you very much for the coffee and curry, Sakura-san."

"Sure thing kid. Get home safe."

"You as well, boss."

* * *

In the evening of April 9th, Akechi was informed a mental shutdown had occurred on the railways in Shibuya.

He and Sae-san were asked to accompany police and medical staff to the scene of the incident and try to gather what happened.

Truthfully, Goro had never really looked at the damning evidence of mental shutdowns he caused.

It was always through the news or spoken from his colleagues that he found out gruesome details.

Looking at the mangled corpse of the conductor and seeing the whites of his eyes would give even the strongest people nightmares.

Several policemen and medical aid climbed into the destroyed train cars, calling out for people to announce their presence, hoping to get a range for how many people survived the incident.

Cracking his knuckles, Akechi set to work.

That damn SIU director wanted Goro to prove himself?

Prove himself he fucking will.

* * *

When Akira was leaving the train, mind still spiraling from being in the past, navigating his way through Shibuya felt like a walk in the park.

Bringing up his phone, the young man wasn't surprised when the eerie icon from the Metaverse navigator popped up large on his screen.

Hearing the noise halt around him suddenly, he wasn't as startled to see everything and everyone stopped in place.

Looking ahead when a blue glare caught on his left glasses lens, Akira found himself staring into a blue mass of flames.

Arsene's wild grin looked right back at him.

The same brief glimpse of his cognitive form, Joker, raised his head up and flashed him a feral look, golden eyes practically staring into his soul.

Before he knew it, things resumed like normal.

People began moving again as if nothing had happened.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Akira joined the masses in moving through the crossing, blending in and disappearing.

* * *

Arriving at Leblanc was nostalgic and the homey feeling was present.

But to see a version of Sojiro Sakura who once again treated him like a punk did hurt.

In the future, he would grow to see boss as a father figure to him, even as going as far to call him dad.

"My name is Akira Kurusu." He bowed politely, "On behalf of myself and my grandparents, I thank you for allowing me to stay here."

The café owner looked pleasantly surprised at his manners, "Sure kid. But, you should really be thanking your mother."

It took Akira's entire will power to not spat out something vulgar about his absent mother.

"She's one of my favorite customers and since I owed her a favor, I thought, what the hell. But anyway, come on, follow me."

Following Sojiro up the attic above café Leblanc felt like this bizarre wave of deja vu.

The attic was still dusty and messy as ever.

"This is where you'll be staying for the time being. I'll at least be kind enough to give ya some sheets for your bed."

Akira looked around and this place looked very odd to him without the variety of gifts and knickknacks that would later decorate the place.

"You look like you wanna say something."

The young man looked at his guardian, "It's big."

Sojiro rubbed the back of his head, "Well, you're in charge of cleaning up. Seeing as you have no where to be, I'll leave this all to you. There's cleaning supplies in the bathroom downstairs. You better get to work country boy."

Boss walked passed him and Akira set his bag on his bed when Sojiro called out to him again.

"Hey kid?"

Akira turned around, "Yeah?"

"Some kid came by here two days ago and wanted to let you know he'll be stoppin' by today in the evening."

"Oh? Did they say who they were?"

"That detective kid, Akechi."

Akira raised his glasses up with a push of his fingers and ducked his head slightly to hide his wide, relieved smile, "Thanks for letting me know, boss."

"Sure thing, kid."

With that, Sojiro descended back down the stairs to man the shop.

* * *

It was some hours later when Akira completely finished cleaning up the attic, making it somewhat more of a suitable living space.

"Ugh, I heard you making all that damn racket, but I didn't think you would be cleaning up here."

Sojiro stopped at the entrance of the attic, nodding his head as he looked around. "Not bad."

"Thanks."

Boss looked at him, noticing he had changed into some casual wear, "Tomorrow morning, we'll be going to Shujin academy where we'll introduce ourselves. So don't keep me waiting."

Akira nodded, "Wouldn't dream of it, sir."

They both heard as someone walked into the café, the bells above the door ringing.

"Coming!" Boss called out as he descended the stairs.

The young man looked around his room before he heard Sojiro call out to him, "Hey kid, there's someone here for you!"

"Be right there."

Going down the stairs, Akira couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face.

Akechi stood by the bar, red eyes settling on him when he heard his significant other walk in.

"Honey, I'm home."

"You're back awfully late."

* * *

End of chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite the differences the boys have to go through this time around. 
> 
> I really hope that you enjoyed reading and be sure to let me know what you think, okay? 
> 
> If you're dealing with cold weather right now much like I am, please be sure to bundle up and stay warm.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope that you enjoyed reading this, and be sure to let me know what you think, okay? 
> 
> And if you're reading this late at night, do me a favor and get some sleep, please? 
> 
> twitter-@erenlevijeager.


End file.
